Dear Editor,
The game of political deception works well when a society lacks financial intelligence and a knowledge of good governance.
The current preoccupation with a tax break for a select group of taxpayers only takes our eyes off the real problem of a dysfunctional system of governance and the unproductive economy it has produced.
Will the proposed tax break reduce the Government’s continued deficit spending, reduce the debt and increase our productivity? No, yet we are expending many days and hot air talking about it instead of fixing the real problem of political corruption and its crippling impact on our economy.
We must remember that the purpose of taxation is to fund public goods, so the real questions should be: What public goods do we need, how much should they cost, and are we willing and able to pay the price equitably?
Once those public goods are agreed upon, every eligible citizen should be required to play their part in paying for them. No one should expect good roads, a clean environment, quality health care and schooling for free. The idea of “getting something for nothing” must be replaced with the mindset of “learning and earning to enjoy a good living”.
The Bible has given us a simple tax formula which we would do well to follow. It commands that everyone pays the same percentage of their income to fund the public goods that should be freely enjoyed by all. Most churchgoers know it as the tithe.
In the Jewish economy, everyone was required to contribute 10 per cent of income earned for the good of the nation. Taking this biblical 10 per cent rate, for example, would see a person earning $6,000 per week paying $600 per week in taxes, while a person earning $60,000 per week would pay $6,000 per week. It is that simple and straightforward and includes everyone — rich, poor, or in-between.
I pray we will put away the political games and focus on fixing our country. After 54 years of this game we should now wake up, learn, and do better.
Joseph L Patterson
United Independents’ Congress
www.uicjamaica.com
josephpattersoncpa@gmail.com
The game of political deception works well when a society lacks financial intelligence and a knowledge of good governance.
The current preoccupation with a tax break for a select group of taxpayers only takes our eyes off the real problem of a dysfunctional system of governance and the unproductive economy it has produced.
Will the proposed tax break reduce the Government’s continued deficit spending, reduce the debt and increase our productivity? No, yet we are expending many days and hot air talking about it instead of fixing the real problem of political corruption and its crippling impact on our economy.
We must remember that the purpose of taxation is to fund public goods, so the real questions should be: What public goods do we need, how much should they cost, and are we willing and able to pay the price equitably?
Once those public goods are agreed upon, every eligible citizen should be required to play their part in paying for them. No one should expect good roads, a clean environment, quality health care and schooling for free. The idea of “getting something for nothing” must be replaced with the mindset of “learning and earning to enjoy a good living”.
The Bible has given us a simple tax formula which we would do well to follow. It commands that everyone pays the same percentage of their income to fund the public goods that should be freely enjoyed by all. Most churchgoers know it as the tithe.
In the Jewish economy, everyone was required to contribute 10 per cent of income earned for the good of the nation. Taking this biblical 10 per cent rate, for example, would see a person earning $6,000 per week paying $600 per week in taxes, while a person earning $60,000 per week would pay $6,000 per week. It is that simple and straightforward and includes everyone — rich, poor, or in-between.
I pray we will put away the political games and focus on fixing our country. After 54 years of this game we should now wake up, learn, and do better.
Joseph L Patterson
United Independents’ Congress
www.uicjamaica.com
josephpattersoncpa@gmail.com